Rail cutter



Feb. 2 1926.

D. E. ANDERSON RAIL CUTTER NSK 3 Sheets-Sheet'l Scln Filed Feb. 5, 1925 Feb. 2 1926. 1,571,569

D. E. ANDERSON RAIL CUTTER Filed Feb. 5, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 2,1926. v I i 1,571,569

D. E. ANDERSQN RAIL CUTTER Filed Feb. f2. 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet uuuu u 1 Fly IIS fforeys Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

UNITED` STATES DAVID E. ANDERSON, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

RAIL CUTTER.

Application filed February 3, 1928. Serial No. 616,830.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID E. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residin at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and tate of Minnesota, have invented a new and use- -ful Improvement in Rail Cutters, of which the following isa specific-ation.

My invention relates'to rail cutters, and

the primary object is to provide means for cutting ordinary rails to form a frog from the rail with a beveled outer surface to provide a supporting shoulder which extends to the .small end of the frog.

It is a feature of the invention to provide a means for readily cutting the rail on either side at the same time so that a long tapered point can be made just as easily as a shorter cut and so that thel cutting is uniform on either side by a single operation of the cutter,.which is supported on the rail.

A series of blow torches,'using oxyl1ydrogen gas, are used which operate in unison by means of a suitable carrier in a manner to cut that portion of the rail which it is desired to eliminate to form the parts of the rail frog. By means of the use of oXyhydrof gen torches the rail is readily cut, owing to the intense heat thus providing an eilicient and economical means for cutting away frogs for various rail connections.

the .undesired portions of the rail to give the desired shape. The head and base of the rail are cut at the same time.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for readily clamping the cutter to the different sized rails and to adjust the cutter in position to cut the rail on different angles to form the desired shalped 1s means provides a cutter which is adapted to be positioned to remove the same amount from the rail on either side of the head and base, or to so position the cutting torches in a manner to cut at an angle to remove more from one side than from the other of the same. v

By means of m cutter rails can be cut in a manner which eretofore have required a great deal of labor and which would practically be impossible with the ordinary means without entailing a great deal of expense. My cutter is adapted for use any place where it is convenient to have the/rail, as the gas torches are portable and can be moved from place to place very readily. By means of my invention the rail is accurately cut in amuch shorter time and much more economially than has been accomplished heretoore. E

In the drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a side view of my rail cutter, attached tov one end of a rail.

Figure 2 is a plane view of the same.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a portion of the support, apart of which is illustrated in cross section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section of the rail on the line 5-'5 of Figure 1, illustrating a portion of 70 the clamping means in conjunction with the I rail.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a cross section on the line 7-7 of-Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a detail of a portion of the release. l f

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 6.

In the drawings my rail cutter A is formed with supporting arms 10 and 11 which are adapted to be fitted to and securely clamped on the web 12 of the rail C, which is to be cut. formed with inner enlarged. portions 13 and 14, respectively, which are positioned against thereto by the screws 15, which are threa in the portion 13 of the arm 10.

The portion 14 is rovided 'with an ad justable wedge-shaped) member 16, which is elidably secured in a suitable manner to the upper edge of the portion 14 and adapted to be held in which extends through the longitudinal slot or channel 18- formed in the member' 14. The upper edge 19 of the member 14 is beveled in a manner so that the wedgethe web 12 on the rail and which are clameg shaped member 16 can be adjusted into posi- 100 tionto centrally engage beneath the shoulder of the head of the rail 'C so as to t the member 14 closely between the shoulder of the head and the base'to securely attach the same to the different sized rails.

When the member 14 is adjusted to the rail the cap screws 15 are turned so as to firmly engage the web 12 and thus hold the supporting arms rigidly to the end of the rail The arms 10 and 11 are bent outwardly on their outer ends and engage the head mem- The supporting arms 10 and 11 are L place by the set screw 17 96 i ber 20. The free ends of the members and 11 are rigidly secured to the head member by means of the cap screw 21.

A suitable stop screw 22 is threaded in the depending boss 23 formed on the head member 20. The stop screw 22 extends below'the supporting arms 10 and 11 and is adapted to be adjusted so as to position the arms 10 and 11 with their rail-engaging ends 13 and 14 properly in relation' to the rail C. This adjusting screw allows the' supporting means to be spaced at various positions, as may be desired, in relation to the rail C. A suitable lug nut 24 is provided or the stop screw 22 and is adapted to engage' the boss 23 tol lock the stop in the vdesiredA position with the end 25 of the screw engaged against the nose or end of the rail C. This stop screw also provides additional means for rigidly supporting the head 20 in position spaced from the end of the rail.

A pair of longitudinally extending torchlsupporting arms 26 and 27l are adapted to be positioned on either side of the rail C and extend backward from the head 20. Each of these torch-supportingV arms are formed with a horizontal web 28 and 29, respective- I v,which are pivotally secured to the upwardly projecting lug 30, formed on the slidable cross head 31 by means of the screw 32 and washer 33. The cap screw and washer hold the arms 26 and 27 in the desired angular position extending from the cross headA 31 and supporting head 20, so that the free ,ends ofthe arms 34 'and 35 of the arms 26 and 27, respectively, can be adjusted or spaced toward or away from each other. When the cap screw 32 is set or locked the. arms 26 and 27 are held rigidly in position. Y

The cross head 31 is slidablv knurled in horizontal lane -on the head 20 and is adapted to e moved into the desired position by means of the driving screw 36 and operating handle 37. The cross head is adapted to adjust the forward-end of the arms 26 and 27 horizont-ally in relation to the nose of the rail C so'that the cross head can -move the ivoted 'ends of the armsl into position inva inement with the center of the rail or to one side or the other of the same. This adjustment, together with the means of adjusting the arms 26'and 27 by means of the screw 32, provides the necessary angular adjustment for the cutting torches which are supported bythe arms 26 and 27.

Slidably secured to the arms 26 and 27 are torch-supporting members 38 and 39, respectively, which are provided with inwardly extending oiset portions 40 and 41. respectively. The portions 40 and 41 extend at an angle. from` the body of the portions 38 and 39 and are formed .with openings adapted to receive and rigidly support the nozzles 42y of the oxyhydrogen blow torches. The supports 38 and 39 are positioned directly above the head of the rail C so that when the blow torch nozzles 42 are positioned within the members 40 and 41 theycome in close proximity with the rail head and are positioned at such an angle as to direct a cutting lange in a manner to cut a portion of the head of the rail on an angle tapering out from the crown of the rail to provide a shoulder 43 on either side of the web 12, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Suitable arms 44 and 45 are secured t0 the members 38 and 39, respectively, and depend therefrom in a manner to support the nozzles 46 on either side of the rail C below the nozzles 42 and in close proximity to the base of the rail. The nozzles 46 are held at an angle to direct the cutting flange lnwardly or in an opposite direction to the angular position ofthe nozzles 42. The supporting arms 44 and 45 have their nozzle supporting ends offset from each other in a similar manner with the portions 40 and 41, respectively, so that the operation of the nozzles do not interfere with each other.

The oii'set portions 40 and 41 of the supporting members 38 and 39 are adapted to loverlap when the arms 26 and 27 are set in the travel of the members on the supporting arms 26 and 27 in accordance with the annular position of these arms. In this manner a. tapered portion can be cut from the rail, as illustrated in Figure 2, so that the head and base of the rail at the nose is cut close to the web 12 but leaving sufiicient material to form substantial shoulders 43 on either side of the web. A spring arm 47 is secured tothe member 38 and is adapted to engage the member 39 to move the same in unison with the movement of the member 38.

.The member 38 is provided with screwengaging jaws-48 which are held by suitable springs 49, into engagement with a drlvmg screw 50, which extends alongfthe arm 26 and is secured on one end in the end 34, while the other end extends. through the hearing 51 and is provided with an operating handle 52 in the Supporting head 20.`

The thread-engaging jaws 48 are adapted to be moved-'ont of engagement with the threads of the screw by the releasing cam 53 which is formed with inwardly, projecting cam lugs 54. The lugs 54 are held out 'of active engagement with the jaws 48 by means' of the coil springs 55, but with their ends'bearing against the beveled surfaces56 of the jaws ready for operation. When the operating screw 50 has moved the member 38, together with the member 39, into the rear-most the releasing cam 50 and forcing the-lugs, 54 into engagement with .the jaws 48 the same are withdrawn from Aoperative engagesition on the same by engaging ,j

ment with the tli'reads of the screw 50 and the members 38 and 39 can be moved to the forward position adjacent the supporting head 20 on the membe-rsQG and 27,.

In operation the rail cutter' is secured to the forward end of the rail C so as to rigidly attach the same by the ends 13 and 14 and the torch-carrying arms 26 adjusted into the desired positionwith the cutting torches atY the forward end of the arms 26 and 27, and when the torches are put into operation-by operating the handle 52, the screw 50 will carry the blow torches into position to cut away the sides of the rail on the head and base simultaneoi'isly` as may be desired, to vive the shape 'for' the frog to be made by the rail. This operation is veiy 'simple and takes very little time. In this manner the rail is accurately cut in a very economical way, makingl my device very adaptable to a purpose which has been desired for vsome time heretofore inthe making of railroad frogs, especiallv as this work can be done cut on the roadbed and without any expensive machinery as has been required 4heretofore. i

y In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of 'operation of my invention` together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other thanthose above set -torth within the scope of the following claims:

l. A rail cutter comprising a pair of spaced blow torches` means for attaching said torches to al rail and automatic means for varying the distance between said torches.

2. A rail cutting device including a.- pair of spaced blow torches, means for supportiner said blow torches, means for'moving said blow torches simultaneously along said rail and automatic means for separating said blow torches from one another as the same aie moved.

3. A rail cutter comprising a. p-air of guides arranged in angular position to one another. blow torch supporting members directly slidable upon said -guides and means -tor simultaneously moving said blow torch supporting members alongsaid guides.

4. A rail cutter, comprising blow torch supporting means, rail engaging means, means for operating said blow torch supporting means in one direction and means for releasing said blow torch supporting means from said operating means to move the same free of said operating means in the other direction.

A rail cutter comprising a pair of guides arranged in angular position to one another, blow torch supporting members slidable upon said guides, means for simul, taiieously moving said blow torchsupporting'members along said guides and alitomatic means'for varying the angular relation of saidblow torches upon said guides to cut bevels on the objects operated upon. 6. A rail cutter, comprising a rail clamping means, blow torch supporting means secured to said rail clamping means positioned on either side of the rail and means for operating said blow torch supporting means longitudinally of the rail whereby a portion may be cut from either side of the head and base of the rail simultaneously.

7. -A rail cutter, comprising rail clamping arms having means for engaging the web of a rail, an operating head secured to said arms, a spacing screw secured to said head adapted to engage the nose of the rail to space the head therefrom and blow torch supporting arms adjustablv supported on said head in a manner to, direct the cutting flame of the torches against the rail.

8. A rail cutter` comprising supporting arms. adjustable rail engaging means formed on the inner end of said arms, an o erating head secured to the outer end of said arms, spacing means carried by said head adapted to engage the end ofthe rail engaged by said arms, longitudinally extending supporting members, a rail cutting means carried by said supporting members, means for adjustablv securing one end of said supporting members pivotally in relation to said operating head and means for horizontally adjusting and positioning the pivotal engaging means of said arms' in relationto said operating head and rail.

9. A rail cutter, including adjustable means for engaging a rail, having a pair of supporting arms, an operatingvhead secured to said arms, a spacingscrew carried by said operating head, an adjustable cross head carried by said operating head, rail cutters, longitudinally extending members adapted to slidably support said rail cutters, means for pivotally securing and rigidly attachingv one end of said cutting supporting members to'said cross head and means for horizontally adjusting said cross head on said` .move`la.portion of. the rail, means for sup-y .porting saiduttmg means on either side of jthe ra11 ,fmeans. for lcarrying said cuttingA means longitudinally of the" railand automatic means for adjust-ingfthe angularftrave-l' ;l

of the cutting means.`

12. In a-device of the class described, in-

rail cutting means to said railengaging means in a manner to cutequal portions from leither side of the rail simultaneously and to. adjust therail cutting ineans'in position to cut unequal portions from eitliel'side of the rail. f

13. In va'device of .the class described, including a rail cutting means, means for sup- .porting said rail /cutting means on either side of the rail and means for angularly positioning said rail cutting means to make a beveled cut on either side ofthe saine when said ra1l cutting means` 1s `moved longitudinally of the rail.

14. Inadevice of the class described, in`

cluding blow ltorch rail cutting means, means for angularly positioning'said' blow torch to remove a'f'portion of the rail on a bevel to' leave a supporting shoulder beneath thevhead of the rail and automatic means for. adjustingthe angular longitudinal travel of the rail cuttingmeans.

15.' In a device of the class described, Ainr-.luding apair of rail 'cutting blow torch supporting means. means for operating said supporting irieans longitudinally along the rail, means 'for adjusting the longitudinal angle of cut of the torches tocause'the same vto converge from a. single point in their-longitudinal movement and-means of adjusting' the point of conversion to either side of the g center of the rail being V ,cut.

cludin'g rail clamping means, rail cutting L means, means for "adj us'tably 'supporting said',

16. A rail cutter comprising a head, a pair ofclamping jaws extending outwardly from said head adapted to clamp-upon the web of a rail,.a pair of guides pivotally connected to said-head and adapted to be swung over or away from said rail and blow Y'torches slidably mounted upon said guides and adapted to cut said rail as the same are f moved along said guides.

17. A' rail cutter comprising a support' adapted to be'attachedto the. end of a rail,

guides mounted upon said support adaptedv to be placed over said rail, blow torches slidable 'along said guides, a member connected with one of said blow torches and advancing the, same along said guides and means formed on said blow torch for engaging the other of said'blow-torlies to cause the lsaine to move simultaneously together.`

18. A rail cutter comprising -a pair of independent guides, means for varying the angular position of said guides 'relative to one another, blow torches slidably mounted upon said guides and means for simultaneously moving said blow torches along both of said guides.

DAVID E. ANDERSON. 

